Castle of Secrets
by MauditBelle
Summary: Gwen has discovered that Merlin and Morgana are seeing each other in secret. As they attempt to keep it unknown, things get interesting, awkward and cute! Mainly Mergana, Arwen implied [might pop up later :)] Reviews are much appreciated :) (formerly Gwen's Discovery)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello world! Okay, at 1 am today I had the idea for this so sorry if it isn't great. Reviews will be rewarded with virtual cookies :)**

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Gwen smiled as she walked down the corridor towards her Lady's chambers, her arms filled with newly washed dresses. When she arrived at Morgana's door, she knocked twice before her hands lowered to the handle. "My Lady, it's me, Guinevere,"

Gwen opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. She walked over to Morgana's wardrobe and began to hang up the dresses. It was fairly early so she assumed that Morgana was still sleeping. Gwen was glad that her Lady had been sleeping so well lately. It was good to see her refreshed and with more energy.

Gwen finished returning the dresses and walked over to the window. She tried to push it open as quietly as possible but it made a loud creaking noise as if it hadn't been opened in years. The sunlight burst into the room, firing life into the beautiful furniture and reflecting to make the prettiest of light patterns.

Gwen was daydreaming about taking a walk with Arthur on such a fine day, but her thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from the bed.

"Arrgh, the sun's in my eyes!"

Merlin! What was he doing in Morgana's chambers! Gwen spun around quickly and was shocked by what she saw. How could she have missed it when she walked in! Morgana's head was resting on Merlin's bare chest, her raven hair concealing the two. Her arm was slung across his waist and merlin's arms were wrapped around her sleeping form. Gwen was glad to note that Morgana was still wearing her nightgown.

Merlin's eyes were filled with horror as well as sunlight when he noticed Gwen standing at the end of the bed. "I can explain!"

His sudden outburst roused Morgana from her peaceful rest and her gaze was immediately drawn to Merlin's face.

"Merlin..." she began, but she followed his line of sight and met eyes with her maidservant.

"Gwen! I wasn't expecting... why are you here?" Morgana's face turned the same shade as Merlin's as the pair found themselves in a very awkward situation. _This is going to be an interesting story to hear!_ Gwen thought as she giggled to herself quietly.

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**How was it? Please let me know and review! Will add the next part within 2 weeks hopefully :) **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for the reviews! Sorry it's later than I said it would be :(**_

_**ClaraLuna: Of course I'm going to continue it!**_

_**MICKEY.G.B.: Glad you're enjoying it!**_

_**sjritts: Phew, I was worried it wasn't going to be funny**_

_**:)**_

_**Please read and review!**_

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"MERLIN, YOU CLOTPOLE!" Arthur's voice bellowed down the corridors of the court. Normally Merlin slipped out of Morgana's chambers and back to Gaius's before sunrise but things hadn't gone exactly according to plan today. Merlin pulled on blue tunic and fussed over his hair while Morgana adjusted his red neckerchief.

"Well, this has been a substantially awkward morning and I'm sorry to have to leave but my dollop head awaits," Merlin joked, making both Morgana and Gwen laugh. He leaned over and whispered in Morgana's ear "I can't believe I'm actually going to ask this of you, but would you mind clearing up the situation with Gwen?"

"Of course I can. Besides, you wouldn't be able to say anything without stumbling and going adorably red," Morgana brushed a piece of hair out of his face and found herself pulled into a soft kiss. She lost herself in his lips, forgetting everything else until Gwen made a small coughing noise and brought her attention back.

"MERLIN!" Arthur wasn't likely to wait much longer so Merlin finally got up and jogged out the door. That left Morgana alone with Gwen and one hell of an explanation to deliver!

"Don't tell Arthur," Was all Morgana could say in a urgent tone when Gwen turned to face her. The two women burst out laughing soon after, regardless of the fact that the door was open and the whole court could probably hear them. They were no longer servant and mistress, but best friends.

"How long has this been going on for?" Gwen tried to recall anything that could have hinted towards Merlin and Morgana's 'relationship' but her memory failed her.

"A while...maybe a couple months now?" Suddenly it was all so obvious! The smiles at feasts and celebrations, the fact that he insisted on delivering her sleeping draughts for Gaius.

"You know what will happen if Uther finds out. He'd have Merlin forced into exile or killed!" Gwen exclaimed. She wanted to think that her friends were taking all the necessary precautions to not get caught but gossip spread through the court like wildfire.

"I know and Merlin understands too. As long as no one else finds out, it'll be fine for now until we want to do something big,"

"Like what?"

"Well, you know, get married?"

Gwen's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing!

"Morgana, I do hope you're prepared for what you've gotten yourselves into!"

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_**How was it? Good? Bad? Let me know! Next chapter will be up sometime soon hopefully! Please leave a review :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Wow, thanks for all the reviews! Hope this one is alright, I had a bit of writer's block on how to continue it :)_**

**_tentsubasa: I like to think that Morgana is a rebel and does whatever she wants behind Uther's back :)_**

**_monnfang123: I never update when I say I will (awful habit) but I've tried to not let you wait too long for this one_**

**_sjritts: thanks for your reviews :)_**

**_ClaraLuna: Sorry I took ages to update chapter 2, exams mess up my writing. :)_**

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"Sorry Sire!" Merlin stumbled as he accidentally knocked over a set of chalices, only to then trip over them in his ill fated attempt to pick them up again.

"Merlin, what is wrong with you? You're dropping everything, crashing around and even worse, you've got that ridiculous grin plastered on you face! Have you been drinking?"

Arthur wasn't the only one to have picked up on Merlin's unusual behavior today-on his way to the Prince's chambers, Gaius had said "You're awfully happy and awake for someone who spent the night in the tavern!"

But the truth behind his behavior was so much better than being drunk in a tavern. Merlin smiled to himself as he set about tidying Arthur's chambers. From now on he would have to do better at concealing the love that was consuming him if he and Morgana wished to remain a secret!

"Merlin, where is my new shirt? You know which one I mean, the dark blue one," Arthur was pacing around in just his trousers until he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Then he was absorbed into admiring his own reflection. Typical.

"It's on your bed, where you left it,"

"Well, bring it over then!"

"...lazy prat..." Merlin muttered under his breath as he carried Arthur's shirt over to him.

"What was that Merlin?" Merlin hadn't intended for Arthur to hear him but as always, things never turned out according to plan!

"Nothing my Lord, I was simply noting my own stupidity for not immediately assuming that you wanted the shirt now," Excuses were never Merlin's strong point and it seemed they never would be.

"Yeah, whatever. You're dismissed for the rest of the day. I have personal affairs to attend to and I don't need you there to mess things up," Arthur was smiling now, which was strange because Royal affairs were boring as hell meaning Arthur normally requested Merlin's presence just so he could suffer too.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is the nature of these affairs? They wouldn't happen to be romantic, would they?" Merlin was just teasing Arthur but that didn't make him any less shocked by his response.

"If all goes well, the yes Merlin, they could well be romantic affairs. Where's Morgana this morning?"

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**_AHHHH! Sorry to leave it on such an awful cliffhanger but I couldn't resist! Please review if you liked it. :)_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Sorry this one's really short but I'm still working on the next chapter which should be up soon. Please read and review!**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews: you guys make me so happy :)**_

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Arthur and Merlin scoured every corridor and chamber in the entire court in their hunt to find Morgana. She wasn't in her chambers and Gaius hadn't a clue where she was either, so Arthur began to worry.

"Merlin, did Gwen mention anything yesterday about what Morgana was intending to do today?"

"No, but she's probably fine. They might have gone out on a ride," Merlin suggested, trying to ease the young Prince's tension.

"Well, I'm going to ask Father if he knows where she is first. I haven't got all day to run around the court unfortunately,"

Arthur had made his decision so he and Merlin sought out King Uther in the throne room. When they found him, he was swamped by his usual royal advisers and some locals who needed help of some sort. As soon as he saw his son enter with a troubled look on his face, he bid his advisers to sort out the problems brought forward while he tended to his son.

"Arthur! What is it?" Uther never seemed to bother with a friendly greeting or an enquiry into how his son was feeling.

"Father, I know you are busy, but I have come to you to ask if you know where Morgana is. I can not find her at all,"

"I assume you haven't checked the stables. If you had, Arthur, you would have noticed that her horse was gone. She and her maidservant have ridden out to Gorlois's grave. They will not be returning until later this afternoon,"

"Sorry to have troubled you ,father. I shall remember to check the stables from now on," Arthur and Merlin bowed down to their king before leaving the throne room.

"Merlin, do you have anything to do for Gaius or are you free to spend the whole day with me?" Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin and stared at him with his piercing blue eyes.

Merlin could have sworn Arthur's eyes made a chill run down people's spines when he glared at them.

"What do you want, Arthur?" Merlin rolled his eyes at the Prince as he broke out in a smirk that told Merlin he wasn't going to enjoy his day.

"Well, seeing as Morgana and Guinevere have left for the day, I thought we should go on a ride too!" Arthur announced. He burst out into laughter at the look of horror on Merlin's face. His sensitive bottom still wasn't used to being on horseback for hours on end.

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_**How was it? Chapter 5 should be up soon. I've got no more exams all week so I'll have time to make it longer and more interesting promise there will be more fluff/romance :) Please review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry I took so long to get this one up! I had terrible writer's block and loads of work to do :( Please read and review! Reviews make me write faster :)**_

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The vast green forest appeared to be never ending. Merlin and Arthur had been riding for just under an hour when Merlin first began to complain.

"Why are we even out here? Why couldn't we have just stayed in the palace instead?"

"Because, Merlin, fresh air and exercise is good for you,"

"How exactly did you work that one out?" Merlin retorted.

"Oh, I don't know! You're the physician's apprentice here, not me!" If Arthur had been meaning to hide his impatience, he had already failed. It didn't take a genius to work out that Arthur wasn't in the mod for Merlin's usual witty comments, which was a shame because Merlin enjoyed tormenting Arthur.

Merlin decided that he would ignore the Prince as much as possible for the remainder of their ride. Why should his head be filled with annoyed thoughts when he could be thinking of the woman he loved?

Merlin was beginning to get excited when he remembered the feast he was attending later that evening but then his moment of joy was crushed by Arthur. Again.

"It's a shame Morgana went out today. I had lovely plans but I suppose they'll have to wait now. the weather better be nice for the rest of the week!" Arthur said to himself, not particularly caring if his servant heard or not.

"You mean you like the Lady Morgana?" Merlin struggled to hide the worry as he stumbled over his words. Oh no. Uther would be ecstatic if if Arthur were to fall in love with his ward, but Merlin would only receive the swift removal of his head! Life was so cruel to him sometimes!

Arthur's booming laughter caught his attention once more.

"Me liking Morgana? That's the funniest joke you've ever come up with, Merlin! Heaven's no. She's like a sister to me: annoying, rude and stubborn! I could never love Morgana in such a way. No, believe it or not Merlin, but it's Morgana's maidservant Guinevere who holds my heart,"

"Oh," was all Merlin was able to say. He was flooded with relief. "So you wanted to find Morgana as an excuse to spend time with Gwen. That is sneaky. What would you have done if Morgana had misinterpreted these actions and came to the conclusion that you wanted to be involved with her? Bet you didn't think of that one!' merlin was eager to figure out Arthur's game. He already knew that Morgana shared Arthur's views about their relationship being more like siblings than anything else.

What Arthur was doing was so risky, not that what he did every night was exactly safe either. If Uther found out he would most likely banish Gwen and force Arthur into some powerful marriage that would supposedly create an alliance with another Kingdom! Arthur clearly hadn't thought his plans through yet. Typical.

Merlin's thoughts were interrupted by an arrow whizzing past his head and embedding itself in something beside him. He turned around in horror to see the arrow protruding from Arthur's right arm.

Arthur's vision began to blur as he tried to take in what had happened. What had happened? He saw a figure in a black cloak dart off into the denser forest, calling out to his fellow attackers just before he began to slip out of the saddle. Within moments the Prince was on the floor.

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_**I know it is quite short but the next chapter will be longer and I promise it will have Mergana and Arwen! Please leave a review if you liked it or thought it was poopy, just let me know what you thought :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey world! Sorry I haven't updated in ages: I've been away on holiday and spent a few days at home before going away again! Enjoy! :D**_

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Gwen sat under an old oak tree and watched Morgana as she mourned the loss of her father by his grave. Gwen counted herself lucky that she still had her dear father to support her and keep her company in their small house...

Morgana and Gwen decided to spend a while sitting by a lake, talking instead of riding back to the palace. It was a rare moment of peace so they had no intention of wasting it.

But that didn't stop Merlin from interrupting their conversation as he burst through the nearby trees on horseback, a second horse following behind him and a limp Arthur hanging in his arms.

"MERLIN!" The girls both cried, surprised and scared. Then Gwen registered the arrow sticking out of Arthur's arm.

"Merlin, what happened? How long has he been like this?" Gwen asked as she and Merlin lowered Arthur onto the ground. Gwen removed Arthur's tunic carefully in order to see how bad the wound was.

"We were riding through the woods because he was bored and the arrow came out of nowhere! I've been riding for about half an hour before I reached you. I wasn't sure of the way back to Camelot," Merlin's voice started to break as panic crept into his mind.

They didn't need to bother debating whether to take the arrow out or not because the movements of the Prince's arm and clothes had knocked it out anyway.

Morgana rushed over and knelt at Merlin's side.

"We need to bandage it to stop the blood loss. And it probably needs cleaning," Merlin said. Gwen untied her water skin and began pouring drops of it over Arthur's wound.

Merlin looked towards Morgana after hearing a loud ripping noise, as if fabric was being torn apart.

"What are you doing, Morgana!"

"You said he needs bandages so my sleeves will have to do. I have too many dresses and I prefer short sleeves anyway," Morgana stated. She passed the strips of blue fabric to Merlin who began methodically wrapping them round Arthur's arm.

When they were satisfied with their work and certain that they could do no more for him, Gwen spoke up.

"Would it be alright if I take him back to Gaius alone? I'll be quicker then and I know the way back unlike someone," She smiled at Merlin as she ended the sentence.

"Sure. Take this too though," Merlin handed her Arthur's sword after helping her secure Arthur into the front of the saddle. Gwen climbed behind him and wrapped one arm round his waist, the other controlling the reins. Merlin could have sworn Arthur smiled at that. If only he were conscious, it would be a dream come true for him.

"I'll see you later," Gwen galloped off into the trees, the hooves of Arthur's horse thundering as they fled.

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_**Did ya like it? Please leave a review :) The next update should be sooner than this was :D**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hello! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in months! Exams, life and writers block have been plaguing me but now I'll be writing more often :) **_

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Merlin waited until Gwen was completely out of sight before he snaked his arms round Morgana's waist. She lifted her head in response and he kissed her lips lightly.

"Where did you and Gwen leave your horses?"

Morgana smiled up at Merlin. "Oh. we left them grazing by my father's-" Her voice was broken by heartbreaking sobs and tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Morgana," Merlin said softly. He delicately wiped a tear from her smooth porcelain cheek. Morgana buried her face in his chest and held on to him tightly as though he was a life line. Merlin simply rubbed her upper back in small circles, hoping it would comfort her as it once did him as a child.

"You're too skinny," Morgana mumbled through her tears. "Need to eat more,"

Merlin couldn't help but laugh, earning him both a giggle from Morgana and a slap on the arm.

"Come on. Let's go home," He took her hand and led her up the hill, wondering what he did to deserve such a woman in his life. .

"Do you think Arthur would accept us? As a couple?" Merlin asked. The prince's interest in Gwen had given him a new courage and hope for their relationship.

"He'd probably be mad at you at first but I'm sure he'd get over it. He once said that if he was a good man and made me happy, he wouldn't care who I married," Morgana replied, squeezing Merlin's hand and smiling at the ground beneath them.

"He had wanted to spend today with Gwen in an attempt to impress her and she is a maid. It made me think that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if we came out into the open. But, I mean only of you wanted to," Merlin stammered.'

"The sooner the better. Otherwise Uther is going to think I'm not interested in any of the knights or Lords and arrange a marriage to some middle aged Lord from one of the five kingdoms,"

The horses were grazing in front of them now. The sun was setting earlier than usual, causing the sky to turn a hundred different hues of red and orange. It was a beautiful ending to the day.

Merlin almost attempted to help Morgana onto her horse but she was in the saddle before he knew it.

"So it's agreed? We tell Arthur tomorrow?" Merlin struggled to keep up with Morgana's pace.

"Tomorrow it is!" she shouted back at him, laughing with glee.

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**_It was shorter than I hoped but I'll do longer ones in future. I just hadn't updated in so long that I felt something is better than nothing :) Please drop a review if ya liked it :)_**


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